Canoe Lake double hands Warsash title

And they won both '“ a 4-0 victory over Ryde Lawn and a surprise 2-2 winning draw against championship contenders JEM Tennis Hamble.

By preventing JEM taking all three points they enabled holders Warsash to retain their title for another year.

Ryde Lawn men's second team kicked off the winter season in style with a 4-0 win over a much-revised Warsash 2 side, who on this evidence may face a difficult few months playing at this level.

In the same division, Avenue 2 and Fishbourne fought out a very close encounter.

The decisive rubber came when Andy Gilliatt and Neil Tigg just got the better of Fishbourne's Tom Craddock and James Wilson.

One division down, Lee 3 spoilt Seacourt's return to league tennis with a 4-0 victory.

Meanwhile, in division four, Lee 3 had to win two match tie-breaks before overcoming Avenue 3.

A match tie-break was also crucial in the division five clash between Alverstoke 2 and Warsash 3.

The former's Tony Norrish and Gordon Gutteridge just edged out Dave Morris and Russell Pickett to earn a 3-1 win.

Canoe Lake 3 rounded off the men's results with a comfortable 3-1 triumph.

Top pair, Martin Jewell and Rod Bailey, lost just four games in the four sets they played.

Avenue 1 ladies gave notice of their ambitions when they overcame Canoe Lake 3-1.

Lake's top pair of Lynn Candlish and Wendy Evans provided strong resistance by defeating Avenue's No 2 pairing, Viola Masona and Debbie Berry, in straight sets.

They then took the top pair, Emma Boucher and Natalie Denby, to a match tie-break, before the Avenue duo prevailed.

Seacourt Ladies' return to competitive action in division two was rather more successful than the men's.

Wickham provided stern opposition, but Seacourt eventually ran out 4-0 winners.

The closest match of the weekend was also in ladies' division two.

Lee 2 and Ryde Lawn 2 shared the rubbers 2-2 and the sets 4-4, with Lee edging the extra winning draw point on countback by winning 41 games to 36.

Ryde Mead, who dominated division five last winter, look like they might do the same in the fourth tier.

They eased past Ryde Lawn's third team 4-0.

Rowlands Castle had a much tougher match in the same division, edging past Fishbourne thanks to a match tie-break win for Dawn Wears and Michele Harpur in the deciding rubber against Cressida Williams and Gill Perrin.

Wrapping up the ladies' matches, Sarisbury Green recorded a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southsea 2.

The only mixed match played saw JEM Tennis Hamble 2 beat Avenue 2 3-1.

JEM's Steve Crofts and Becky Ford won both their rubbers, while Graham Richardson and Mandy Dixon backed them up by beating Avenue's top pair.

The ladies' midweek masters competition also got under way at the weekend.

The results are as follows: Chichester 1 bt Ryde Lawn 1 4-0; Fishbourne 1 bt Canoe Lake 3-1; Rowlands Castle bt Fishbourne 2 4-0; Avenue 2 bt Ryde Lawn 2 4-0.

- ALAN BEST